Printing machine



Aug-8, 1939.

R. E. 'PARIS PRINTING MACHINE Filed Feb. 28, 1956 FIG! FIG.2

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INVENTOR.

Patented Aug. 8, 1939 UNITED STATES PATENT GFFEQ PRINTING MACHINE Robert E. Paris, New York; N. Y., assignr to rnternational Business Machines Corporation, New York, N. Y., a corporation of New York Application February 28, 1936, Serial No. 66,161

14 Claims.

There are now commercially in use machines for making such strips by embossing printing characters on ribbon-like blanks and for feeding such strips onto a flexible plate having stripretaining means formed on it. Other machines are also now in use, upon which the plate may be fastened for operation in making numbers of duplicate copies. Or the plates may be small 15 `and used in addressing machines. This is old and well known.

However, in such machines, no means is provided for line justification of the printing characters of the several lines on a plate. It is a principal object of the present invention to produce strips of the character above mentioned which shall be constructed so that line justification may be attained.

In the prior art devices, the strips were more or less permanently fastened to the plate by squeezing. Another object of the present invention is to provide novel anchoring-means for the printing strips.

A further object is to utilize the anchoring means as determining means for dening the limits of the justification.

A further object is to produce a form of strip wherein a plurality of such strips may be clamped together for forming means whereby a matrix may be produced from which the usual electrofor printing presses may be obtained.

Other objects will appear from the following detailed description and will be specifically pointed out in the claims. All of these objects are o attained by the following means illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which:

Fig. 1 is a fragmentary plan view of one of the plates with a plurality of printing strips attached thereto.

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary plan view on a reduced scale of one of the blanks for a printing strip after embossing and before the final forming operation.

Fig. 3 is a sectional view taken on line 3-3 of 5()` Fig. 1.

Fig, 4 is a sectional view taken on line 4--4 of Fig. 3.

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary perspective view of a printing strip. g` Fig. 6 is a view similar to Fig. 5 but sho-wing (Cl. IUI-368) the form of embodiment required for the forming of matrices for making electros for printing presses.

Like characters of reference refer to like parts in all views. 5, i

Referring to the drawing in detail, l0 represents a strip-supporting plate of well known construction, formed with ribs Il carrying disklike anchoring elements l2. It is, of course,

understood that the plate lil, ribs Il, and ele- 10,

ments l2 are formed from a single blank and are integral. The printing strips are slipped onto.

the ribs Il and held thereon by elements l2.

Each printing strip 'i3 is preferably made from a band of metal embossed with printing char- 1li,4

acters Ill. But the embossing machines should be provided with proper escapement and skip mechanisms so as to space the words several letter spaces apart as at l5. The embossing machine is also provided with proper dies to 20 effect cutting out of the strip to form narrow portions at I5, and for cutting off the strip as at I 6, and with a punch for forming an anchor hole il at the same time that the final end i6 of the preceding strip is sheared from the roll of metal. 25

After the blank is cut and embossed, as in Fig. 2, the wide portions of the strip are bent downwardly and inwardly forming walls IQ which make the strip comparatively rigid as to each Word, and also forming flanges 2li. The way between the 30 flanges 2i) is of such width as to permit the strip to be slipped onto a rib il with the elements l2 overlying the flanges 2B and thus holding the strip on the plate Iii. The strip has the end formed with the anchor hole Il bent at an 35l incline, and the opposite end bent with a similar incline and formed into a hook or anchoring element 2l. The spaces l5 between the words are folded down as at Z2 bringing the several words of the strip into comparatively close rela- .40v

tionship. After the strip is completely formed, it is slipped onto the appropriate rib il until hook 2| engages the edge of plate lil. The end bearing anchor hole Il is then pulled until anchor hole il registers with a respective anchor 45m same end of the line (except at paragraphs), it

follows that the lines are necessarily justified regardless of whether one fold 22 may open a trifle more than another in the line. Actual experiment indicates that folds 22 will open with surprising evenness.

Since the strips may be secured to the plate without forcing down the elements I2, the strips may readily be removed from the plate, and the latter may be used for a number of different runs.

At the beginning of the rst line of each paragraph a greater distance is left between the hole II and the first letter, and at the end of the last line of each paragraph a greater blank space may be left according to the exigencies presented by the particular matter to be printed.

It will thus be seen that I have produced a strip for addressing machines and other printing machines which is capable of line justification. The strip may be produced in many different ways by 0 various types of known machines modified slightly 30of books, newspapers, etc.

as would be understood easily by any good mechanic. The strip could also be made by hand, and hence no claim is made to the method of making the strip, but merely to the strip per se and in combination with the supporting plate.

It remains only to be described the manner in which the strip is modified when it is desired to produce a matrix for the production of electros for use with printing presses in the production Referring now particularly to Fig. 6, the type strip |3A is formed with depressed characters I 4A, side portions I9 and flanges 20A which meet to form a box-like structure. Between words, the strip is bent upaszwardly at 22A. When a plurality of these strips (made otherwise like strips I3), are fastened to a base like I0 and clamped together, a plastic material may be applied to form a matrix from. which electros may be made for use on printing presses.

Of course, in this case the expansion permitted by folds 22A provide for line justification.

While I have described what I deem to be the best embodiments of my invention, it is to be understood that many changes in form could be made without departing from the spirit of my invention, and I therefore .do not limit myself to the specific embodiments shown nor to anything less than the whole of my invention as above described and as now claimed.

I claim:

l. The combination with a supporting means of a plurality of printing strips secured thereto and each formed with a oair of anchoring elements and a plurality of printing characters so arranged that the first printing characters of all strips are equi-distant from their adjacent anchoring elements and that the last printing characters of all strips are equi-distant from their adjacent anchoring elements, and means inter- ;mediate the ends of said strips for keeping the port including stationary anchor pins and strip anchoring elements, of a plurality of unitary type strips each formed of a single length of in-elastic material with portions for coaction with said anchor pins and with other portions for coaction with said strip anchoring elements.

5. A printing strip formed from material provided with printing characters and having a plurality of folded box-like sections, each section having a printing face on which the characters are placed and having longitudinal marginal supporting and anchoring folds on each side of the face, said box-like sections being interconnected at their ends by transverse folds of the material comprising the printing strip whereby the box-like sections are extensibly interconnected to permit the box-like sections to be adjustably separated by tension applied to the ends of said strip, the end sections being provided with supplemental strip anchoring means.

6. The combination with a supporting means having a plurality of anchoring elements formed therein, of a plurality of printing strips each formed with an anchoring element at its end cooperating with one of the anchoring elements on the support to secure said strips to support, each of said strips having expansible portions and supporting and securing elements intermediate the expansible portions.

7. The combination with a supporting means, a plurality of printing strips each formed with anchoring elements having an interlocking relationship with the supporting means to secure the strips to said supporting means, said strips also being provided with one or more folds extending transversely of the strips whereby the strips may be longitudinally extended, said strips between the transverse folds being formed with longitudinal marginal folds adapted to support the strip intermediate the folds and give rigidity to the sections between the folds, said longitudinally folded portions also being interlocked with the supporting means.

8. The combination with a support, of a plurality of printing strips each provided with groups of relatively fixed characters and formed with expansible portions between the groups whereby the strips may be longitudinally extended variable extents for line justification, said strips intermediate the expansible portions being formed with longitudinal stiffening and securing portions having an interlocking relation with the support to mount said strips on said support.

9. A printing strip comprising a single unitary in-elastic strip having one or more transverse folds dividing said strip into a plurality of word sections or character groups whereby the ends of the strip may be variably moved longitudinally to cause said strip to conform to a standard line length, said sections each having a plurality of longitudinal stiifening folds certain of which extend at an angle to the portions having the character groups to impart rigidity to the sections while others of said folds extend at an angle to the stiffening folds to provide a means for anchoring the individual sections of the strip to a support, the end sections of said strip being provided with anchor portions for securing the ends of the strip to a support.

10. A type strip formed of a single piece of in-elastic material and having one or more transverse cut-away portions formed with transverse folds adjacent the cut-away portions whereby the strip is divided into inextensible portions extensibly formed by the folded portions whereby the length of the strip may be varied to conform to Cil an arbitrary standard of line length, said sections being individually provided with means to anchor the type strip to a support.

11. A type strip formed of a single strip of inelastic material divided into character group sections by transverse cuts, the material comprising said strip being transversely folded or pleated in the narrow portions of the strip resulting from the cuts whereby the original length of the strip is compressed an extent depending upon the number of transverse cuts, said fold permitting the ends of the strip to be moved longitudinally to cause said strip to conform to an arbitrary standard of line length Without deforming the material in the several sections, said strip between the folds being provided with marginal stiifening folds extending longitudinally of the strip, said marginal folds being further folded to provide a means for anchoring each section individually to a support.

12. In combination, a support plate having formed therein ranks of aligned anchoring elements, and a plurality of type strips, said type strips being initially formed from varying lengths of in-elastic strip material upon which characters are initially disposed in groups longitudinally of the strip, said strips being cut away transversely between the character groups and folded transversely at the cut-away portions whereby the ends of the strips may be moved longitudinally variable extents dependent upon the number of character groups in each to make the strips conform to an arbitrary line length without deforming the material intermediate the folds, said strips being further folded longitudinally intermediate the transverse folds to provide interlocking portions engaging the ranks of anchoring elements in the support to retain said strips in spaced relation upon the support.

13. In combination, a support plate having formed therein ranks of aligned anchoring elements, and a plurality of type strips, said type strips being initially formed from varying lengths of in-elastic strip material upon which characters are initially disposed in groups longitudinally of the strips, said strips being cut away transversely between the character groups and folded transversely at the cut-away portions to enable the strips to be manipulated to vary the length thereof to conform to an arbitrary line length without deforming the material intermediate the folds, said strips being further folded longitudinally intermediate the transverse folds to provide interlocking portions engaging the ranks of anchoring elements in the support to retain said strips in spaced relation upon the support, the

' end sections of said strips being provided with supplemental anchoring means having an interlocking relationship with the support to anchor the strips at the ends.

14. A printing strip formed from a single strip of in-elastic material divided into a plurality of character group sections by transverse folds or pleats, said pleats permitting the length of the strip to be changed to make the strip conform to an arbitrary line length, said strip, intermediate the pleats, being further folded a plurality of times longitudinally of the strip to form the strip into rigid box-like sections whereby a plurality of such strips may be laid side by side in intimate contact to form a composite matrix or master for producing a printing plate.

ROBERT E. PARIS. 

